bison stampede at Senior Justice Laws and junior Madison Meeks pose in Disney merchandise at The Soda Jerk Ice Cream Bar Nov. 10, 2019. Meeks and Laws appliedfor the Disney College Program during their time at Harding. I photo by Jillian Jarvis 126 seniors Harding students experienced magic during their time working at the Disney College Program. For senior Jed Meyers, the Disney College Program was an internship in the land of dreams. Meyers and other students who participated in the program worked at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, managing rides and attractions or greeting park guests as they entered. Meyers, who participated in the program in fall 2019, said the job was a wonderful experience, and the best part about the program was getting to make new friends. "The best thing for me has been the people," Meyers said. "It's just such a large corporation, [and it would be easy] for it to just be kind of a cold work environment, and it has just been the exact opposite. I've only known some of these people for two months, but they've already become some of my closest friends." Junior Madison Meeks recalled her experience with the Disney College Program fondly. Meeks, who participated in the program in fall 2018, worked in Hollywood Studios and other areas of the park, and she was one of the staff members who greeted visitors face-to-face. Meeks said one of her favorite aspects of the job was participating in "magic moments." "One of my favorite things is when you see [a] Make-a-Wish family come through," Meeks said. "A lot of times they would have magic moments, and so if a child came up to you, and their parents were like, 'Oh, we don't have enough money for that,' or 'We can't do this,' especially if they have anything on - like Make-a-Wish anything - a lot of times, we could just patch it on our radio and tell our supervisors what was up, and they would be like, 'Make their day."' Senior Justice Laws planned to perform in Disney parades after graduating in December 2019. Laws looked forward to collaboration of many backgrounds in the Disney College Program. "I am most excited about getting to work and perform with such a diverse group of people,'' Laws said. "We all come from such different backgrounds, but we will all be representing such a well known and respected company." Meeks emphasized the importance of participating in the Disney College Program if a student wanted to work at Disney later in life. 2018 alumna Kennedy Priest echoed that belief. Priest worked as a costuming hostess in 2018 and proceeded to work full time after she completed the program. Priest encouraged anyone who was interested in participating with the program to remember that it was more than a job; it was also an experience worth having. "You'll have little kids who see their favorite princess for the first time, and it's the most heartwarming thing you'll ever see," Priest said. "It's precious; and so you have a lot of hard days, and we have a lot of days [that you] will remember for the rest of your life." story by Elizabeth Shores
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